The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-31
DUMMIES DROP IN PRICE
1t Continues to Get Cheaper for Drug
Dealers, but Not for Consumers.
How the Supply Is Obtained Now-Why
There Is Less Malaria in Indiana Now
than There Was Few Years Ago.

Quinine was the subject of a conversation In
one of the principal downtown drug stores yes
terday. in the course of which a Journal reporter
asked the compouncer of medicines if there had
been any decrease in the of the drug in In
diana in late years.
We'll. sir" said the pill-maker II think there
has not There has undoubtedly been decrease
of its use for malarial troubles. because there
has been decrease of malaria, but at the same
time there has been a constantly widening use
of quinine in other diseases. and this. coupled
with an increasing population, has probably
kept the consumption up to it's old standard.
The relative use is probably less. There is lees
quinine used in Indiana now than in Connect
cut"
"How do you account for the decrease of ma
aria9'
"There ara various theories for that, such
drainage of the country and more healthful food
and clothing for the people. My own belief is
that it is due to an entirely different cause.
During the 'aigger times all druggists has spe-
cites of a dozen kinds constantly on hand. and
usually prescription two of his own. Ten
or twelve years ago a sort of rage for pills for
malarial affections set in. and, among others.
Tom Barry concocted pill that was death to
fever and chills. 1t made of capsicum iron
and chinoidine-"
IAN thou lowest me- Horatio, what's thatw
"Chinoidinel Why, its what's left after all
the quinine and other akaoids have been ex
tracted from cinchona bark. The liquid is
boiled down and made into sticks like licorice
But, as I was saying. these pills were labeled
Aliens Red Tonic Pills, and put the market.
Tho first year sold about s10O 900 worth,
scheme u locke we'll They t'd hsd donb1eender
boxes with the tonics in one end. and compound
cathartics in the other. The second year they
put about $50. 600 in ink. and took in 500. OOo'
Then they thought they had struck bonanza,
and went in big but the next year the trade fell
flat, and never has amounted to anything since.
The truth is that there has been very little
trouble from malaria since then and have no
doubt those pills ran it out of the country"
Very like but why is it that quinine costs
at retail just as much as ever Notwithstanding
the wholesale price is reduced"
There are two reasons In the first place. it
doesn't. You get dozen two-graiu capsules
for Is cents now, and YOU used to pay 30 cents
for twenty-four grains of qunine In the sec
ond place, the cost of the capsules and the
trouble Of filling them is something OF impor-
lance to the druggist Besides. one wants
more than a dozen capsules for Is cents. A
sick man would think medicine of use if he
could get whole drug store for dime HUI
you remember that old duck in the Bible who
wouldn't battle in the Jordan when the prophet
told him to. just because it was no better than
the rivers in his own country
"What is Quinine worth at wholesaler
at ranges now from 50 to 40 cents per ounce.
according to the guam tity purchased-that Is for
the American articles the German quinine is a
little cheaper"
DO you think it will up again?"
mo. Quinine will never bring dollar an
ounce again in this country. though there are
people who hug the deusion, just as there were
some unfortunates who held their wheat during
the steady decline from war prices. They say
there is man over in Decatur who bought five
hundred ounces Of quinine when it dropped from
So 50 to 81 25. When it struck 50 he took five
hundred more At ST.. 80 he took thousand
additional, and 81 still another thousand.
He has it yet. and very much fear he will lose
money on it. sas.s
what is the basis of your assurance in this
matter2"
1.-The nature of things. There is nothing pre-
carious about the supply as there used to be- In
old times the cinchona bark all came from the
South American forests Men used to go into
the country. get on some high point. and mark
down the patches of cinchona with field-glasses.
which was easily done on account of the color of
the foliage. Forces of men were taken to these
points. and every tree was cut down and stripped
of bark. The high price of the article and the
rapid determination of the trees caused effort
to be made to transplant, and also to raise the
tree from the seed in other localities. The
suit is that now there thousands of acres of
cinchona forests in Borneo, Sumatra, Java. Cey-
Ion, and some other places There is a posi-
biity of injury by cyclones. but they would
have to be OF great extent to affect the mar
ket.n
But are not these trees destroyed to obtain
the barkF'
mot at all. When a tree is five or six inches
through they begin using it by stripping off the
bark one-third around tine tree. This strip is
covered with gum and bandages and heals over.
The next year second strip is removed and
the exposed wood is treated in the same way.
The third year the naming strip is taken. The
fourth year the new bark the first strip is
ready for use and is taken off. So the tree is
continually producing without any material
injury itself But the greatest advantage of
cultivation is the increased product. From the
wild trees the bark yields only about 2 per
cent of alkaloids. The first strppings from the
cultivated trees yield always per cent, and
sometimes high as s. The second strippings
yield from 10 to IL per cent. They are the
second striDpings now. and there is
osity to know what the third strippings will do.
If they Keep at this rate the bark will be
solid ouinine by the close of the century"
WALKER SNYDER.